What does yada mean?

Yada isn't just a sexual innuendo.

Many people recognize the word “yada” today because it was popularized in 1997 by Jerry Seinfeld in the infamous “The Yada” episode. Since it’s pop-culture debut, we’ve been saying “yada yada yada” when we want to gloss over sexual encounters, avoid incriminating details, or when cutting out parts of a story to get to the punch line. But, what does yada really mean?

Hebraic roots of yada

Yada is a Hebrew word that means “to know”. actually, the word is versatile and has several meanings depending on the context. Let's take a look at a few examples.

Yada: Sharing Love

The first example of yada can be found in Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Torah.

Adam knew [yada] his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain... Cain knew [yada] his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch... Adam knew [yada] his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth... (Genesis 4:1, 17, 25)

Here we see a very intimate kind of knowledge, and some would even call it a carnal knowledge. However, a strictly sexual relationship does not mean we are experiencing yada! In other words, yada is dedicating ourselves to a person so we can engage them with our love and affection.

Yada: Showing Mercy

Another occurrence of yada can be found in one of the Hebraic wisdom books.

The righteous know [yada] the needs of their animals, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel. (Proverbs 12:10)

Wisdom literature frequently creates a dichotomy between good and evil. In this case, a good person knows the needs of their animals and takes care of them; an evil person neglects the needs of their animals and shows no mercy. In other words, yada is understanding the needs of those around us and taking care of them.

Yada: Acting Justly

We'd like to bring your attention to a very important illustration. In one of the prophetic writings found in the Hebrew scriptures, we see an incredible blending of the word yada.

But a beautiful cedar palace does not make a great king! Your father, Josiah, also had plenty to eat and drink. But he was just and right in all his dealings. That is why God blessed him. He gave justice and help to the poor and needy, and everything went well for him. Isn’t that what it means to know [yada] me?” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 22:15-16)

In this chapter, Jeremiah (a prophet) is delivering a scathing rebuke to the king of Judah. This king had acted selfishly, neglected the poor and needy, and exploited others to build his kingdom. The LORD tells this corrupt king what it truly means to know [yada] the LORD. 1. Doing justice, 2. Showing mercy to the poor and needy, 3. Exemplifying good and righteous character. In other words, yada is faithfully living out our covenant relationship with the LORD in every area of our life.

DROP: a multi-faceted word

Let's switch gears and talk about the DROP. DROP has two meanings:

1. It represents the Drupal content management system

We use Drupal for the sites that we build and for the screencasts that we promote. The word Drupal is an English rendering of dutch word for a water droplet. Drupal is known worldwide by a drop in their logo, hence the drop in our logo.

2. It represents a way of learning and doing

Sometimes it's best to break down the big challenges of life into smaller, more manageable chunks. We adopt that philosophy in the websites that we build and the learning materials that we produce.